Advanceshipping Week 2018
by ZachaRicO
Summary: It's that time of year again: the time to celebrate Ash and May and their many adventures together! Advanceshipping
1. Day 1: Future

**Ah, yes. It's that time of year again: time to celebrate the greatest ship in the world! Without further ado, let's -**

 **Wait, what? What do you mean it's not the greatest?! GET OUT OF HERE, YOUR KIND AIN'T WELCOME HERE!**

 **Just kidding. Enjoy!**

 **Day 1: Future**

* * *

The sun was still high in the west over Pallet Town when Ash arrived on the outskirts. He saw his house in the distance and grinned excitedly.

"There it is!" he grinned, pumping his fist. "Oh man, I can't wait to see everyone!"

" _Pi pikachu_!" Pikachu agreed from his shoulder.

As they walked down the pathway, Ash looked at his best friend. "It's been a long day, hasn't it, buddy?"

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu nodded.

"Well, don't worry," his trainer said, still grinning as he rubbed Pikachu's head. "Once we get home, we'll get you cleaned up and rested for the weekend." A small smile made its way onto his face as they walked. "I've been looking forward to this weekend for a long time now." Pikachu nodded, and the rest of the trek home was quiet. Before he knew it, Ash was standing at the front door of his house. With a smile still on his face, he pulled his keys from his pocket, turned the lock on his door, and opened it.

After closing the door behind him, he let out a brisk sigh. "Well, let's get settled in," he said.

" _Pikachu_ ," Pikachu agreed. With that, the two set off into the house. Pikachu scuttled upstairs to rest, while Ash headed over to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"Hm," he mumbled as he looked through the fridge. "What'll it be tonight?" As he scanned through, he caught sight of some potatoes in the bottom drawer. "Taters it is, then," he grinned, bending down and opening the drawer. After taking the potatoes out, he closed the fridge and filled a pot with water. As he set it on the stove to warm it up, he heard the lock on the front door click, followed by the door opening. His eyes widened as he glanced at the clock. "4:30?" he said aloud. "Seems a little early." He shrugged it off quickly, however, and set the potatoes down before heading back to the front hall.

The sight that met him there never failed to bring a smile to his face. A brunette girl around his age was removing her shoes. She looked up, revealing her lovely sapphire eyes, and smiled back at him.

"I thought you'd be back at 5," Ash said, still smiling.

"I said I'd be back early, remember?" she replied with a mischievous wink.

"Of course I do," he replied as she stood up. He took her purse and set it to the side. "That is, if you'd be back at all," he said teasingly.

"Well why wouldn't I come back?" she said, still smiling as she walked up and put her arms around him. Ash was quick to reciprocate her gesture before their faces came together and shared a brief kiss.

"I just started the water for dinner," Ash said after they separated. "I found some potatoes in the fridge, so I thought we'd have them tonight."

"Perfect!" she grinned as she picked up her purse. "I'll be down in just a bit to help you out."

"Okay, May," he said. "Don't be too long!"

"I won't!" she called back as she headed up the stairs.

He smiled as he peeled the potatoes. "She really is perfect," he said softly to himself. "Not in the way most people expect, but she's perfect to me."

" _Eievui_!"

Ash's head shot up as he heard the familiar cry. "Eevee!" he exclaimed, turning and seeing the tiny evolution Pokemon pawing at his pants. She was hungry. "Not again," he moaned. "You know you're not supposed to run around the house unsupervised."

" _Vui ee_!" was all the baby Pokemon said in reply, her grin unshaken.

Ash just sighed and shook his head with a small smile. "All right, come on now," he said, picking her up. "Let's get you back where you should be." With that, he walked upstairs and into his room. There, Pikachu was resting in a small but homely alcove. As Ash bent down to put Eevee down, Pikachu looked up in surprise and concern. "Don't worry, Pikachu," he said with a smile. "She just wanted some food, that's all."

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu nodded, then turned to Eevee with a firm expression. " _Pika pikachu_ ," he said.

" _Vui_ ," Eevee said, bowing her head in apology.

"Say, where's Glaceon?" Ash wondered. "Didn't May let her out?"

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu shrugged.

Ash imitated his Pokemon and started to head back downstairs when he heard the doorbell ring. "Uh-oh," he grinned. "I think the munchkins are home." With that, he headed downstairs to the front door and peered out through the peephole. His grin grew wider as he opened the door.

"Daddy!" the two kids cried as they ran in and tackled him with two big hugs.

"Hiya, kiddos!" he grinned, hugging them both tightly. "How was class at Professor Oak's today?"

"Great!" the two of them said at the same time before they both started rambling about what they did that day.

"Okay, now," Ash said, gesturing for them to quiet down. "Why don't you go clean yourselves up and put your stuff away? We'll talk about our days at dinner. I only just started it, so you'll have plenty of time to do your homework before then."

"Okay!" they grinned and started running up the stairs. Ash suddenly remembered something.

"Hold it! Chase!" he said.

The boy turned around, startled. "Oh, yeah Dad?" he asked. He looked just like his father did at that age, with messy black hair contained by a cap. His eyes, however, were a deep indigo blue.

"How was Pichu today?" Ash asked.

"Oh, he was fine," Chase replied. "He spent most of the day sleeping in my backpack, so watching him was easy."

Ash had Chase turn around and looked inside his backpack. Sure enough, Pichu was asleep, sucking on his paw. "Okay," he smiled. "Go ahead and take him back to his pops, okay?"

"Okay, Dad," Chase nodded, before rushing up the stairs again.

Ash turned back into the kitchen and found the water boiling. After washing the potatoes, he dropped them in and let them sit there for a while. A few minutes passed before May came into the kitchen. "Hey," he said, giving her that absent-minded grin she loved.

"Hey," she said back, giving him that lovely smile he loved. "How was your day today?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," he said with a shrug. "A few challengers, some paperwork...you know, the usual."

"Sounds about right," she nodded as she pulled some meat out of the fridge.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Same," she said. "Glaceon went into a little frenzy, though. She's getting cleaned up big time tonight."

"Again?" Ash said. "Is that why she's not with Pikachu right now?"

"Yep," May nodded as she put the meat into a frying pan. The sizzling sound made them both drool a little bit. Seeing her focused on the meat, Ash took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her waist from behind and lay his head on her shoulder. They looked at each other and smiled.

"Ewww! Dad, are you and Mom going to get smoochy again?!"

Ash turned and saw the kids looking at him with grimaces. "What if I said 'yes?'" he teased.

"I don't know why Mom lets you do that to her," his daughter said. "Doesn't she know boys have cooties?"

"Oh, don't worry, Elaine," May grinned knowingly, turning to them. "I know boys have cooties." She wrapped an arm around her husband and laid her head on his shoulder. "But that's what makes them special." They turned to each other and kissed once again.

"EWWWWWWW!" Chase and Elaine squealed in disgust, while Ash and May parted and began laughing uncontrollably.

* * *

 **I think I'm a day early on this one, but whether I'm early or late, I don't care. Why? Because I have a plan for Advanceshipping Day. The plan is simple: to upload a special story, only with much more depth to it. The key phrase here is "I have a plan," because I had a plan last year too, and that ended up failing incredibly.**

 **As you can see, I've included the two protagonists of Pokemon: Let's Go! Pikachu & Eevee as Ash and May's children. I've always thought they looked like they could be their kids: Chase obviously looks really similar to Ash, while Elaine's brown hair reminds me of May.**

 **I may have ended this one a little abruptly, but I think it was a good way to end it. Plus, endings have never been my strong suit. Feel free to rate and review, but be constructive, please.**


	2. Day 2: Battle Frontier

***Yawwnnnnn* Ah, Day 2 of Advanceshipping Week. Hm, let's see how much traffic my first oneshot got. Probably not a lo -** **WHAAA!? Where did all these people come from?!**

 **To everyone who actually reviewed the story, thanks. Don't worry about that troll; he won't be a problem anymore. (honestly, who the hell is Melanie anyway?!) Just to be clear, this is a oneshot series. As you can see in this story, the stories in this series are loosely connected; however, each one is its own individual story, so if you're looking for FanFiction's next great multi-chapter narrative, then you're in the wrong place. I do write those, but not here.**

 **Okay, enough from me. We're way behind schedule now!**

 **Day 2: Battle Frontier**

* * *

"Espeon, use Psychic!"

"Infernape, Flamethrower!"

The two Pokemon obeyed their trainers. Espeon's eyes glowed, causing a red aura to surround Infernape. Infernape fought through the pain of the attack and fired a jet of flames from its mouth. The flames slammed into Espeon, breaking its concentration. A small burn mark appeared on its foreleg.

"Wow!" Chase exclaimed. "Infernape barely even flinched!"

"But how?" Elaine wondered. "Infernape is weak to psychic attacks. Why didn't it bother him?"

"It's simple," May said. "Infernape and Ash have a very close bond that makes them strong. Infernape fights his hardest to win for Ash, which allows it to break through attacks that would otherwise hurt him."

"Wow," Chase murmured. "Trace was pretty confident coming into this battle. I wonder what he's thinking now."

The trainer Chase spoke of, his rival Trace, stood on the challenger's side of the battlefield, his teeth clenched with sweat on his forehead. Trace resembled his father, Gary Oak, sharing with him his spiky brown hair and narrow eyes. His hair was more subdued than his father's, and he was considerably more friendly than his father had been back when he was a trainer.

He was challenging Frontier Brain Ash Ketchum, Chase's father, to earn the Pallet Symbol. He believed his team was strong enough to put up a fight. However, he was quickly proven wrong when Ash easily knocked out his first five Pokemon with ease. Only Espeon, his first Pokemon, remained. Worse, it seemed Ash's strategy was always one step ahead of Trace's, leaving the latter constantly trying to keep up.

"Espeon! Time to finish this!" Trace called, his voice faltering slightly. It was clear he was trying to sound confident. "Last Resort!"

"Infernape! Flare Blitz!" Ash commanded without hesitation. As Espeon became immersed in a golden aura, Infernape shrouded himself in flames, charging at his opponent. Espeon's aura formed into an energy star, which shot straight at Infernape. The flame Pokemon, however, blasted right through it and slammed into Espeon, sending it flying. Soon after, the dust settled, revealing Espeon lying on the ground, eyes turned to swirls.

"Espeon is unable to battle!" the judge declared. "Infernape wins! The winner of this battle is Frontier Brain Ash Ketchum!"

"Yeah!" Ash cheered, running up to Infernape and hugging him. "Way to go, Infernape!"

" _Zarou_!" Infernape cheered with him.

"Yay! Daddy won!" Elaine cheered from the stands, along with her brother. She then looked at Trace, who looked sullen as he walked up to Espeon. "Oh…" she murmured.

"Way to go, Dad!" Chase cheered loudly. "I knew you could do it!"

Trace picked Espeon up and looked at it. "You okay, Espeon?"

" _Fee_ ," Espeon replied weakly.

"Thank you for your hard work," Trace said, recalling it. "You deserve a good rest." He stood up, looking at Ash in shock. "I don't understand. How did I lose so badly?"

"You're a strong trainer," Ash said with a smile. "But it takes more than raw strength to win a Pokemon battle. The bond you share with your Pokemon, combined with a solid strategy, is key to victory. I can see you and Espeon have a strong bond. Keep growing stronger, and one day, you'll be able to best me."

Trace listened to his father's old rival, then smiled. "Thanks, Ash," he said. Since his father was an old friend of Ash's, the young trainer had no problem calling the Frontier Brain by his first name, unlike most people. "Make sure you keep that Pallet Symbol nice and polished for me. I'll be back for it soon. You can count on it!"

"I look forward to it," Ash replied, still smiling as he shook the young trainer's hand. "Good luck out there."

"Thanks," Trace said.

* * *

"Wow, your dad is really strong," Trace said as he walked out of the battle facility with his friends. "I didn't realize how tough he was."

"I know, right?" Chase grinned. "He's the greatest trainer ever!"

"Sorry you lost," Elaine said with a sympathetic gaze.

"It's okay," Trace smiled. "I think I was a little in over my head. I won't make that mistake again."

"Good," Elaine smiled.

"We gonna head home now?" Chase asked them.

"Actually, no," Elaine said to her brother. "Dad said he had some sort of lunch meeting he had to go to, so we're on our own for an hour."

"Oh!" Chase said. "That sounds like fun!" Trace just smirked.

* * *

"You think the kids'll be fine for an hour?" May asked as she sat down at her seat.

"Hey, if they're gonna be Pokemon Masters just like their old man, they gotta learn to do stuff on their own," Ash grinned as he sat across from her. "I'm sure they'll be perfectly fine."

May closed her eyes and shook her head, a small smile making its way onto her face. "Leave it to Ash Ketchum to know how to be the best parent," she chuckled.

"Huh?" Ash blinked in confusion. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"No no," May laughed, raising her hand to reassure him. "I'm just teasing." She looked him in the eye with a sincere smile. "You should know better, Ash. I make it pretty obvious when I'm teasing, you know."

"You seem to forget that you married the densest man alive," Ash replied with a wink. "Even though I'm not that oblivious anymore, there are still plenty of cues that I don't pick up on."

"Well, that's what I'm here for!" May giggled. Ash laughed with her. Their playful banter continued for short while. Eventually, the waiter took their orders and brought them their drinks. May ordered a _Sprite_ while Ash ordered an ice-cold _Dr. Mario_.

Ash sipped his soda and exhaled with glee. "Ah, this stuff is the best."

"I honestly don't understand why you like that stuff so much," May said before taking a sip of her own beverage.

"Why not?" Ash chuckled. "It's an authentic blend of 64 flavors. How can you go wrong with that?" May chuckled with him.

"I think 23's enough for me," she said. "64 seems like a bit much, don't you think?"

"Nah," he replied absentmindedly as he stared out the window they were sitting by. She noticed the way he was looking and immediately caught on.

"Thinking about the old days again?"

"A little bit," he nodded.

"The days when we would travel around the world in pursuit of our dreams?"

"Yeah," he nodded again. "The world is so big and beautiful, with so many Pokemon to meet. I wonder what else is out there that we haven't seen yet?"

Even though he wasn't saying it outright, May immediately knew what he meant. "You miss travelling, don't you?"

"Yeah," he nodded once again, turning back to her.

"You know that Pokemon Ranger job offer's still on the table," she smiled at him.

"I know."

"It would give you the chance to travel again."

"I know."

"You could see even more of the world and its Pokemon."

"I know," he said for the third time, this time a bit more firmly. May looked taken aback somewhat. "Sorry," he said, backing off slightly. "I didn't mean to go too far."

"No, it's not your fault," she replied, leaning forward on the table. "I just didn't expect you to get defensive. You love travelling."

"Yeah, I do," he nodded. He then gently took her hand in his. "But I love you more," he said softly. "And more than anything, I want you give you and the kids the best life possible. It's kinda hard to do that for your family when you're gone all the time, isn't it?"

May looked surprised. She'd never heard Ash talk about their life like this before. "Is that...why you took up Scott's offer to become a Frontier Brain?" she asked, her voice mirroring his.

"Of course it is," he nodded. "And I'm glad I did. Not only do I get to meet so many different challengers, but I also get to stay close to my family and grow with them."

A small blush crept its way onto May's face. "Ash," she whispered, a smile slowly breaking out onto her face. She then leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. He returned the kiss briefly before they parted and gazed into each other's eyes lovingly.

"AHEM."

"Ah!" they exclaimed, snapping out of their reverie and looking up to see their waiter standing over them with two plates of food.

"Your food is here," he said, handing them their orders. "And please refrain from displays of affection in public places."

"Sorry," the two of them said in unison. The waiter walked away, rolling his eyes in amusement.

The rest of their lunch outing was quiet. May smiled softly as she ate her food, happy that she found a man who would put her first above everything else.

* * *

 **If there's one thing I enjoy doing with these themes, it's taking a very loose interpretation without necessarily going outside the boundaries.**


	3. Day 3: Reflection

**Day 3: Reflection**

* * *

A sudden flash of light from outside woke May up from her troubled slumber. Her groggy eyes opened ever so slightly at first, then they shot wide open when another flash briefly blinded her. Her body jerked upright in response to the sudden booming noise from outside, and her breathing quickened.

The pattering sound from outside revealed that it was still raining. The sound was much louder now, indicating that the weather had only intensified since she retired for the night. She turned and looked at the clock, whose blinking digits revealed that it was two past midnight. By this point, her breathing had slowed to a normal pace, though she still flinched when another flash blinded her. She walked over to the window and watched the rain fall in heavy droves, illuminated only by the small street lamp and occasional lightning flash. Water droplets trailed down the window, distorting her reflection somewhat. Despite this, her drooping eyebrows and tense jaw made it clear what she was thinking.

She turned and walked out of the room. Even though no lights were on, she'd followed this short trail so many times that she'd memorized it. Quiet as could be, she turned the doorknob on the door in front of her and peered into the room. Two beds sat on opposite sides of the room, with her two children sleeping in one each. Still quiet, she tiptoed in, gasping slightly when another flash of lightning blinded her briefly. She looked at her son, Chase, who was hugging his covers tight, a stark contrast to his usual sprawled out sleeping position. Despite this, he was sleeping peacefully, unafraid, a near-perfect reflection of his father. Seeing this, May turned and gazed at her daughter, Elaine. She was in the same position as her brother, but her eyes were squeezed shut, her teeth clenched, a perfect reflection of her mother. May bent over her, placing a hand on her shoulder, and whispered soothing words into her ear. She then kissed her forehead and stood up. Elaine's face was calmer now, much to her mother's relief, and she quietly tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind her.

As soon as she arrived back in her own room, a flash of lightning startled her. She closed the door behind her, a little more loudly than she meant to, which only made her more nervous. She looked out the window to see if the weather showed any signs of slowing down. But when she gazed out, the only thing she could find herself looking at was her own reflection. Even though it was dark out, she could see it clear as day.

Despite checking up on her kids, May's expression was only tenser than it was when she woke up. Confused, she told herself that there was no reason to be concerned anymore. The kids were safe, and that's what mattered. The only response she got to her self-assurance was a mocking flash of lightning. Frustrated, May turned away from her reflection and sat on the bed, deciding to go back to sleep. But her mind was so agitated now that it refused to let her body relax. May ground her teeth slightly, wondering why she had to have trouble sleeping tonight of all nights.

A shiver ran down her spine, causing her to hunch over slightly. She felt goosebumps crawl down her arms. She held herself tightly, only now realizing how cold she was. Her body started shivering, her teeth started chattering, and she started to wonder if her eyes were watering.

It was at that moment that she felt something touch her arm. Her eyes instantly shot open at the familiar touch. It was warm and soft. The goosebumps faded as she relaxed, turning towards the source of the touch.

Ash sat there, gazing kindly into her eyes. She couldn't see anything else on his face, but she knew that he was giving her a warm, comforting smile. They had been married for many years now, so she didn't have to think twice about that. As she gazed into his eyes, she began to see her reflection once again. Yet it was different this time. Instead of a fearful mother, she saw a calm, secure wife who had confidence that her children were safe. She saw a beautiful soul tied inseparably to another: the most beautiful bond of all.

His arms slowly enfolded her in a warm embrace, expelling the cold. Her lips slowly curved into a warm smile as she returned the favor, putting her arms around him. After one more moment of just gazing at each other, the two of them closed their eyes and came together for a kiss: tender, yet passionate. Neither of them noticed when lightning flashed outside once again, as they sank into their bed, still in each other's arms.

* * *

 **I based this one off of "Ash comforts May scared of thunderstorm" by Riadorana on DeviantArt. Again, I took a loose interpretation of the theme. How'd I do?**


	4. Day 4: Manaphy

**Day 4: Manaphy**

* * *

"Wow!" Elaine squealed in delight. "The sea is so big!"

"It sure is," May agreed, smiling up at the girl on her shoulders.

"Does it ever end?" Chase asked, looking up at his father.

"Not exactly," Ash replied. "The ocean makes up 70% of the earth's surface, and it surrounds every other landmass. So in that sense, no, it doesn't end; at least not in the way we'd expect it to."

"Wow," Elaine breathed. "I didn't know the ocean was _that_ big."

"The world is a big, bright, and beautiful place," May said as she lifted her daughter off of her shoulders and set her down. "There's a lot that we'll probably never be able to see."

"Like what?"

"Like what's under the surface of the ocean," May replied with a knowing look.

Elaine blinked, confused, then gasped excitedly. "Are we going swimming?!"

"We sure are!" May winked.

"YAY!" the kids cheered, running below deck to change into their swimsuits. Their parents just watched them with a chuckle.

"They're a lot like us when we were their age," Ash smiled.

"Of course they are," May smiled. She then looked up at the sky. "Are you sure about the eclipse, though?"

"Positive. The moon is full right now, and the forecast is certain that the eclipse will happen tonight. And they've never been wrong."

"Never?"

"Hey, I thought 97% was close enough," Ash said, raising his hands defensively. May just giggled. A short while later, the kids emerged in their swimsuits.

"CANNONBALLLLLLLLLL!" Chase cried as he jumped into the water, creating a massive splash. Anticipating this, Ash pulled out an umbrella and let the water splash off of it, keeping himself and May dry.

"WHEEEEEEEEEE!" Elaine cried as she dove into the water with all the grace of a Primarina. The splash she created was much smaller.

The two of them splashed about in the water, playing with each other and their Pokemon until the sun had set. By that point, their skin was starting to show signs of being in the water for a long time, so everyone decided it was time to get out. By the time they were all dried off and in their normal day clothes again, night had fallen. The moon, just as Ash predicted, was a dark red hue.

"Whoa," Chase breathed. "Why is the moon so angry?"

"It's a lunar eclipse," Ash explained, bending down and pointing up at the moon. "The moon is completely covered by earth's shadow, which means the only light reflecting on it is the light from the sun refracted by the earth. That makes it look red."

"Wow," Elaine said, awestruck. "That's amazing."

As they were gazing up at the moon, the water beneath them suddenly started to glow red. Chase saw this and gasped! "Dad! The sea's angry too!"

"Hm?" Ash blinked, looking over the rails. Then he smiled. "Oh no, the sea isn't angry, Chase."

"It's not?"

"Then what is it?" Elaine asked.

"I don't know," Ash responded with a knowing smile, "but if I had to guess, I'd say it was happy: very happy to finally see its mama come home." As he said this, he turned and looked at May, who was grinning ear to ear, her eyes glimmering in the night light.

"Hey, what was that?" Elaine suddenly asked.

"Hm?" Ash blinked, looking at her. "What is it?"

"I heard something," she said. "It sounded like a kid."

"Was it a Pokemon?" Chase wondered. No sooner had he asked this than they all heard a faint sound from beneath them. It was a shrill cry of...happiness?

"Yes," May whispered, more to herself than in response to Chase's question.

"Cool!" Chase grinned. "Then I'm gonna catch it!"

"Whoa, hold on there, kiddo!" Ash said, putting his hands out to halt him. "This isn't just any Pokemon that you can catch. It's a very special Pokemon, both to your mother and to me."

"Really?" the kids said in unison.

"Yes," Ash nodded.

" _Mama_!"

Elaine gasped. "There it is again! Wait, did it just say -?!"

Her question got interrupted by a splash coming from over the railing. Everyone turned and saw a small, blue Pokemon with two antennae coming out of its head flying through the air. It headed straight for May before landing in her arms.

" _Mama_!" it cried.

"Manaphy!" May cried as well, hugging it tightly. "Oh, Manaphy. I thought I'd never see you again!" Small tears leaked from her eyes.

" _Love you, Mama_!" Manaphy replied. It then saw May's tears. Confused, it started rubbing them away. " _Mama? Happy_!"

May smiled back at the little Pokemon. "I am happy, Manaphy," she said. "That's why I'm crying. These are tears of joy."

" _Joy_?" Manaphy blinked.

"Yes, Manaphy. Joy."

Manaphy blinked again, then smiled. " _Joy! Joy joy joy_!" it cried out, happily jumping out of May's arms and dancing around her. May laughed joyfully at this.

"Wow!" Chase exclaimed. "It can talk?!"

"How does it do that?" Elaine wondered.

"Manaphy is a really fast learner," Ash explained. "Within hours of hatching, it has the ability to learn and mimic certain human words."

"Just like Team Rocket's Meowth!" Chase said.

"Exactly," Ash nodded. "But Meowth had to teach himself how to talk. Manaphy learns on its own, and it learns very quickly."

"But why is he calling her Mama?" Elaine asked. She looked at Ash in confusion. "Did you guys have another kid without us?!"

"WHAT?! NO!" Ash cried, caught off-guard by the sudden question. May just burst out laughing at Ash's reaction. The kids started laughing too, while Ash made a pouty face.

"No, kids," May smiled at them, beckoning them to gather around. Ash joined as well. "Manaphy calls me 'Mama,' because he was born in my arms." With that, May began telling them the incredible story of their meeting with Manaphy and how they worked together to save Manaphy and the Temple of Samiya.

"Wow," Elaine breathed in awe. "That's an amazing story."

"How did you guys get so lucky?" Chase wondered aloud, frowning. "You see all these legendary Pokemon, and all I get to see is my sister!"

"Hey!" Elaine snapped at him. "That was mean!"

"Now now, calm down, you two," Ash said.

"Are you making up all these stories?" Chase asked again, still frowning.

"What?" Ash and May blinked in surprise. "No, honey!" May said, coming up to him. "We would never lie to you like that."

" _Lie! Lie_!" Manaphy said with a grin. Ash just facepalmed.

"I don't know," Chase muttered, looking down. "It just seems weird that you guys got to go on all these exciting adventures while I don't."

"Hey, not everyone gets to go on the same adventure," Ash said, bending down to his level. "Your adventure won't be the same as mine. But even if you don't believe the stories we tell, I can assure you, the story about Manaphy is true."

"Why's that?" Elaine asked, curious.

"Because if it wasn't for Manaphy, your mother and I wouldn't be married today."

"Really?" the two kids exclaimed in amazement.

"Really really," Ash said.

"I've never understood why you think that, Ash," May said. "What makes you think that Manaphy is the one who brought us together?"

" _Mama! Dada_!" Manaphy cheered. The kids giggled at this.

"Do you remember how I told you that I almost drowned trying to save the temple?" Ash asked her. "And how Manaphy's Heart Swap brought us in contact for a brief moment?"

"Yeah," May nodded.

"Well, it was after that moment that I started developing feelings for you," he went on. "I think Manaphy's Heart Swap connected us in more ways than one. Ever since then, I felt lonely and incomplete without you, and eventually fell in love with you."

May looked at Ash with a glimmering gaze, smiling from ear to ear. "Oh, Ash," she said. The two of them came together and slowly brought their lips together, sharing a tender yet passionate kiss.

"OH COME ON! DON'T START KISSING NOW!"

The two of them broke apart and burst out laughing at their children's disgusted expressions. Manaphy also laughed, happy to be reunited with his mama for the first time in so many years.

* * *

 **Argh! I don't know if I'm going to make it! I've got a lot of projects to get done for Youtube and Fanfiction, and Youtube needs to take priority! Sorry in advance (no pun intended) if I fail to keep up with this series, but it will get finished, whether on time or late.**


	5. Day 5: Terracotta Ribbon

**Okay, let's see...ooh! More reviews! *checks them* Oh no...not this loser again.**

 **Don't worry about Elmo and his posse, guys. I'll take care of them. You just sit back, relax, and enjoy the story.**

 **Day 5: Terracotta Ribbon**

* * *

It was a nice and quiet Saturday afternoon at the Ketchum household. Chase and Elaine were in the living room, laying on the floor and on the couch respectively. Their parents were out for a run with their Pokemon, while Pichu and Eevee were sleeping.

"Man, I'm bored," Chase muttered. "Isn't there anything to do around here?"

"We could watch TV," Elaine suggested.

"Nah. TV's boring, and Mom and Dad are always mad after watching." He stood up and walked around for a bit before getting an idea. "I'm going upstairs." He didn't bother waiting to hear Elaine's response before walking up. He looked around, a mischievous glint in his eye, before turning towards his parents' room. He cracked the door open and looked around to make sure nobody was watching. Once he confirmed this, he stepped inside and walked towards their bed. He climbed up, but before he could cause any trouble, something caught his eye.

Several cases hung over his parents' bed: cases filled with badges and ribbons. There was a small shelf to the side, on which a few trophies stood. These were signs of all the struggles they went through on their journey when they were young, struggles that shaped them into the strong and confident trainers that they were today.

What struck Chase as odd, however, was what sat in the center of all these signs of accomplishment: a golden medal resembling the sun with a pink ribbon tinged white. The ribbon appeared to be welded together down the middle, as if it had been split before and then...unsplit? Chase didn't know the word.

"Didn't your mother teach you to knock before entering?"

Chase was so caught up in gazing at the array on the wall that he jumped in shock when he heard the familiar voice. His father was standing in the doorway, a mischievous smile on his face. "Dad?" he exclaimed. "Ah, sorry I -"

"It's fine," Ash said. "I was just kidding with ya." He walked up to his son. "So, whatcha doin'?"

"Uh," Chase stammered, having forgotten the reason he came upstairs in the first place. "I was just looking at all your badges and ribbons." He looked at them. "You guys have a lot of them."

"Yep," Ash nodded, coming up and sitting next to his son while putting his arm around him. "We worked hard for those, you know. They're symbols of every hour and every minute we put into training to get where we are today."

"Wow," Chase breathed. He then pointed to the ribbon in the middle. "But what about that one? Why is it so special?"

Ash looked at the ribbon he was pointing at and smiled softly. He stood up and took the ribbon off the wall before opening the case and pulling it out. "Chase," he said softly, "this ribbon is special because it belonged to both of us: your mother and me."

"Really?"

"Yes," Ash nodded. "Before we went our separate ways after our journey through Kanto together, we entered a small contest in a small town. We both made it to the final battle round and gave our all in battle. In the end, we tied, but the judges only had one ribbon. So we decided to split the ribbon down the middle. From then on, we each carried half of the ribbon with us wherever we went. That way, we'd always be together wherever we went, even when we were far apart."

"Wow," Chase said. "So why did you guys fix it?"

"When your mother and I got married, we decided that we didn't need to carry our half of a ribbon anymore to always be together. After all, we weren't simply two people anymore: we were united by the strongest bond of all. To celebrate that bond, we decided to weld our ribbon together to symbolize that we would be together forever."

"You and Mom have been through a lot of adventures together," Chase said, looking up at the ribbon one more time. Then he smiled up at his dad. "You really love Mom, don't you, Dad?"

"Yes, son," Ash smiled, putting his arm around him and pulling him close. "With all my heart and soul."

"Same here, Ashy," came a teasing voice. The two boys turned around in surprise to see May standing in the doorway, arms folded with a knowing smirk.

"Mom!" Chase exclaimed. "How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough," May snickered, relishing in how it felt to be Max for once.

"Hey Chase, why don't you go downstairs and get out a board game or something," Ash suggested. "We'll be down in a second to play." Chase agreed and scurried out of the room while Ash looked at his wife with a chuckle. "Ashy?" he repeated. "Really?"

"Really," May replied, walking up to him and sitting with him on the bed. They looked at the ribbon a moment before looking at each other. "You know, you did a good job explaining to him what this means to us."

"Thanks," Ash grinned, looking back at it while May leaned into him. "I was worried I was selling it short."

"Really?" May blinked, looking at him.

"Nah," he winked. She giggled and pushed him, while he returned the shove.

"Okay, let's hang this back up," she said. They stood up, holding the case together, and carefully put the case back in its place. They then looked at each other, knowing smiles on their faces as they realized what they just did.

They just reenacted their wedding night.

* * *

 **That was shorter than I thought. Oh well. For once, I think I actually ended on a pretty good note.**


	6. Day 6: Mementos

**Let's see what we got today. *checks reviews* Mmhmm...uh-huh...okay...oh! That's a new one.**

 **Okay, that's enough. On to the story.**

 **Day 6: Mementos**

* * *

Ash walked up to his front door, hot and tired from an exhaustive day of work. "Lousy paperwork," he muttered under his breath. "Days like this are the lousiest, aren't they, Pikachu?"

Pikachu didn't respond. He was fast asleep on his trainer's shoulder due to boredom.

"Lucky," Ash muttered. His expression brightened, however, when he put his key into the lock and turned it. The day was over, and now he could enjoy a relaxing evening with his family. He opened the door and stepped inside before closing the door behind him. "I'm home!" he called out cheerily. "Boy, what a day at the facility!"

There was no response. Ash blinked in surprise. Everyone was on vacation today, so he knew that everyone was here. Normally his kids would run up to him and hug him, telling him stories about their day, or his wife would greet him with the usual hugs and kisses. Or at least Pichu and Eevee would run out to greet him.

And yet there was silence: complete and utter silence. After a moment, Ash walked further into his house to see what was going on. He didn't have to look for long, as he entered the living room and saw Chase sitting on the couch. His usually cheery face looked crestfallen.

"Hey, Chase!" Ash greeted his son with enthusiasm.

"Hey Dad," Chase said, not even bothering looking up.

Ash raised an eyebrow. "How was your day?" he asked.

"Fine."

"You sure?" He sat down next to his son and put his hand on his shoulder. "You seem a little down. Something wrong?" Chase leaned forward, resting his head on the palms of his hands, and sighed. "What's going on?"

Finally, Chase looked up at his father and took a deep breath. "Well, I guess you should know…"

* * *

" _Rawr!" Chase said, imitating the sound of an evil, giant, fire-breating turtle. "I'm the big bad monster, and I'm gonna eat you!" He had his evil turtle toy attack the tiny princess toy._

" _No!" Elaine cried, imitating the princess's voice. "Please, don't eat me, Mr. Evil Turtle! I don't taste so good!"_

" _Oh really?" the evil turtle sneered. "We'll see about that. Bring me the ketchup, minion!" A small turtle toy came over and handed a packet of ketchup to him. "Ha ha ha!" the turtle roared. "Now I shall spray you with ketchup! Then you will taste DELICIOUS!"_

" _Not if I have anything to say about it!" Elaine said in a new, much more menacing voice. She pulled out a wooden Teddiursa doll that was much bigger than the other toys._

" _Oh no!" the evil turtle cried. "It's the giant bear! Help me!"_

" _Grawwrrrr!" the bear roared. Elaine then popped the doll's head off._

" _Aaaaaahhhhhh!" the evil turtle screamed as he fell into the bear's stomach._

" _Ho ho ho!" the bear's head chortled. "You're safe now, princess."_

" _Yay!" the princess cheered. "My hero! Thank you for saving me, Mr. Bear!"_

" _No problem. Now, let's go -"_

" _WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"_

 _The two children jumped out of their skin in terror on hearing their mother suddenly scream. She looked down at them, hands on her face, which could be described as aghast, angry, and teary-eyed all at once._

" _We w-were playing," Elaine said, trembling in fear._

" _We just thought we'd play with our old toys," Chase agreed._

 _Their mother bent down and pulled the Teddiursa doll's two pieces up, horrified. "This is not a toy!" she cried, small tears trickling down her face. "Who told you you could play with this?!"_

" _No one!" Elaine replied, trying not to cry. "I found it on the shelf and I took it down so we could play with it! I didn't know it wasn't a toy!"_

" _You broke it!" her mother cried. She looked at her daughter in rage. "Go to your room."_

" _But Mommy -"_

" _NOW!"_

 _Elaine ran upstairs, sobbing. After she ran up, Chase heard a door slam. His mother walked up the stairs, whimpering as she went._

* * *

"I've been sitting down here ever since," Chase finished. "I don't know why Mom was so mad, and I was afraid to ask her. Everything's been quiet ever since."

"How long ago was this?" Ash asked.

"About fifteen minutes ago," his son replied.

Ash sat there a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. Then he smiled softly and stood up. "I think I'll go talk to your sister," he said.

"Okay," Chase said half-heartedly.

Ash walked up the stairs before turning to the right towards his children's room. He knocked softly, hoping to get a response. When none came, he creaked open the door and peered in. He saw his daughter lying down on her bed, her back facing him. He walked in and, after closing the door behind him, came up and put his hand on her shoulder, giving a gentle shake. Elaine looked up, fearful tears on the brims of her eyes.

"Hey, sweetie," Ash said with a smile. Elaine just turned away, sniffling. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Mommy's mad at me," Elaine said. "I did something bad."

"No you didn't," Ash said.

"Yes I did!" Elaine replied with force, turning to him. Tears started to trickle down her face again. "I broke something important to Mommy!"

"No you didn't," Ash said again.

"Yes I did!" she snapped back, this time more vehemently.

"Elaine," Ash said, sitting down next to her on the bed, "it's okay. Chase told me everything. That doll you were playing with isn't broken."

"Hm?" Elaine blinked in confusion, wiping her eyes.

"It's a pretty simple fix, actually," he explained. "The doll's head was made to be popped on and off."

"How do you know?"

"Because it's mine," Ash said. "I've had it for a lot longer than your mom, so I know plenty about it."

"Really? But then why did Mommy get angry at me?"

"Probably because she thought you broke it, and it's as important to her as it is to me." He looked at her with a firm yet gentle expression. "You did nothing wrong, Elaine. Your mom probably just didn't realize that it was meant to do that. But next time, please make sure you ask before you just take something off of our shelves."

Elaine sniffled and wiped her eyes one more time. "Okay, Daddy," she said. Ash pulled her into a hug, which she returned. He smiled softly once again.

"You give the best hugs," he said, rubbing her back.

"You always say that," Elaine replied, her voice muffled by his shirt.

"That's because it's true," he grinned. He set her back down on the bed and stood up. "You okay now?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime." With that, he stood up and walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind him. He then headed over to the master bedroom. After closing the door behind him, he took off his outer shirt and tossed it to the dirty clothes basket. As he did so, he caught sight of his wife sitting on the bed, a crestfallen expression on her face.

"Hey," he said, coming up to her.

"Hey," she replied, barely glancing up at him.

He sat down next to her and kissed her on the cheek. "How're we doing today?"

"Fine," she sighed.

Ash looked down and saw that she was holding the two pieces of the Teddiursa doll in her hands. He then looked back at her. Small tears trickled down her face. "Chase told me what happened," he said.

"Mmhmm," May sighed sadly.

Seeing he was getting no response, Ash decided to get to the point. "I think you overreacted."

"Hm?" May blinked, looking up at him.

"The doll isn't broken," he explained. "Its head is actually meant to pop off like that. Here, lemme see it." He extended his hand out. Curious, May handed him the doll. He took the head, placed it on the body, and turned it until it fit back into place. "There, see?" he said. "Good as new!"

"Oh," May said softly, surprised.

"Yeah, I know," he chuckled. "The first night I had this after you left for Johto again, I accidentally dropped it from a top bunk. The head came clean off, and I thought I'd broken it. But when I went to take a closer look, it turns out it was made that way, so I just popped it back on."

May looked at the doll, her expression changing to one of guilt. "All this time...and you never told me…"

"It didn't seem important," Ash shrugged. May looked at him, still crestfallen. "Hey," he went on, "I get that you were worried that one of our special gifts got broken, but I think you need to be more careful how you handle this kind of situation. Elaine's in her room, still in tears, and Chase is sitting downstairs, completely depressed."

May sighed and stood up. "I think I'll go talk to her."

"Good idea," Ash smiled. With that, May walked out and headed to Elaine's room. Ash waited for a little bit, then walked over to see how the two were reconciling. When he peered in, he saw Elaine hugging her mother tightly, crying softly, while May whispered soothing words. He smiled at the adorable sight and closed the door.

* * *

 **I read a fic a few years back about the Teddiursa doll May gave to Ash. In it, Ash accidentally dropped the doll, and the head popped clean off. But it wasn't broken: the doll was designed that way, which allowed a message to be hidden inside. That served as the inspiration for this fic.**

 **Tomorrow's theme is free choice, which means I get to choose the theme. Can you guess what it's gonna be?**


	7. Day 7: ?-?-?

**Normally, I'd wait until the end of the story to explain this one. However, I get the feeling this one will be really confusing to a lot of people, so I'll give a brief overview on what this is all about:**

 **As you might know, I love Super Smash Bros. And with SSB Ultimate coming out in less than three weeks, I'm pretty excited. Early on, however, I noticed something very interesting. The Pokemon Trainer comes in male and female variants this time around, and their alternate costumes each resemble the outfits of a player character from each generation of Pokemon. The male trainer has an outfit based on Calem from Kalos, an outfit which many have noted looks strikingly similar to Ash as he appeared in the XY series of the anime. The female trainer, meanwhile, has an outfit based on May's outfit that she wore in Pokemon Emerald, which her anime counterpart wore when she returned in the Diamond and Pearl series.**

 **You do the math.**

 **Day 7: The Ultimate Bond**

* * *

Ash stood on a familiar cliffside, a solemn expression on his face. A small waterfall was beside him, flowing into a river down below. It was the cliffside where he had his first adventure as a Pokemon trainer, desperately trying to save Pikachu from an angry flock of Spearow by jumping down into the river. There were no Spearow today, however, as he stared down at the calm waterfall.

He looked up and saw the sun high in the sky; it was close to noon. As he gazed at it, his mind subconsciously projected two lines onto it: one thick, vertical line towards the left of the sun crossing over with a thin, horizontal line towards the bottom. It was a familiar symbol that held great weight for the trainer. While there was always excitement associated with it, there was also sadness: sadness of leaving loved ones behind for Arceus-knows-how-long. And this time, that weight was much heavier than ever.

Ash turned to look behind him on the path he came on, which led back to his house. His family was doubtlessly wondering where he was right now, having left early without saying anything. He hated leaving them in the dark, but he nevertheless was sworn to secrecy on this journey. Only Pikachu knew where he was going, and he was perched on Ash's shoulder, looking just as dejected as he was.

"I'm gonna miss them," he said sadly.

" _Pika_ ," Pikachu agreed.

Ash looked back to the sky and sighed. "You know, I can't help but wonder: why did they invite us back?" Pikachu looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I mean me and the other three. Of course they'd invite you back; you're one of the Original 8." Pikachu nodded with a soft smile. "But why me? Why not just take Charizard, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur? They're perfectly capable of fighting on their own." Pikachu shrugged. "Oh well. I guess we'll get our answers once we arrive."

No sooner had he said this than a mysterious portal opened in front of him. He barely flinched, having expected this for quite some time. What did surprise him, however, was who came out of the portal. " _I see they've invited you to return as well._ "

Ash's eyes widened. "Lucario?"

"Yes," the Aura Pokemon nodded. "I was sent to pick you up. Do you have all your affairs in order?"

"Yes," Ash nodded. "We're ready to go."

" _Pika pikachu_!" Pikachu nodded.

Lucario looked around for a moment before frowning. "Something's not right," he muttered. "I think I'm forgetting something."

"Hm?" Ash blinked. "What's -?"

"There you are, Ash Ketchum!"

Ash flinched on hearing that voice. He knew who it was, and he was glad she came, but he also knew what she was feeling right now. He turned and saw his wife, May, along with their two children, walk up to him. "Hi, honey," he said timidly.

"Don't you 'hi honey' me, Ash!" she snapped. "What, you think you can just run off to the biggest tournament in the universe and not tell me where you're going?! Is that what you think?!"

"May, I'm sorry!" Ash said, raising his voice slightly just so her shouting wouldn't drown him out. "I wanted to tell you; really, I did! But I was told to keep this a secret from everyone, regardless of how close or trusted they were." He came up to her and took her hands in his. "I know you're angry, and you have every right to be, but I really didn't want to leave you behind."

Her expression softened on hearing his sincere explanation, and she bowed her head slightly. "I'm sorry," she said. "I was just really worried about you, and -"

"Don't be," Ash stopped her. "Like I said, you have every right to be upset right now." He hugged her in a light embrace. "I'm sorry it has to be this way."

She returned his embrace. "I understand," she whispered. As they were doing this, Pikachu gave a similar explanation to Glaceon. After a moment, May parted from Ash. "Go get 'em for us, okay?"

"You got it," he winked. He then turned to Chase and Elaine. "You two be good for your mom while I'm gone, okay?"

"Okay," Chase said with a smile. "But in case anything goes wrong," he went on, pointing at his sister, "she started it."

"Hey!" Elaine snapped. "That's not fair! I haven't even done anything yet!" The family laughed at this exchange. After giving May a quick peck on the lips, Ash turned back to Lucario.

"All right," he said. "I'm ready." Lucario, however, had a knowing smile on his face, causing Ash to raise an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Now I remember," Lucario said. He then turned to May and the kids. "I have something for you," he said.

"Hm?" May blinked as Lucario handed her an envelope. It had a familiar red seal on it, causing her to gasp. "Wait...is this…?"

"Wait, what?" Ash said, turning to Lucario in surprise. "She's invited, too?!"

"Yes," Lucario nodded. "We wanted to make sure that everyone would participate in this tournament, so we expanded our horizons a little bit." He turned to May. "Do you require time to prepare?"

"YES!" she exclaimed happily. She jumped into Ash's arms, prompting the latter to spin her around happily. Knowing that he wouldn't have to wake up in the morning alone without the love of his life made this journey so much more exciting; the earlier gloom he felt at leaving his loved ones behind was nothing more than a distant memory fading into the light.

* * *

 **Talk about rushed. Oh well.**

 **I don't think these oneshots will go down as my favorite works ever on FanFiction. But it was nice to try something a little different: namely, writing stories about Ash and May's married life and their children. Speaking of which, for those of you who don't know, Chase and Elaine are supposed to be the protagonists of the new Pokemon Let's Go! Pikachu & Eevee games. I think everyone's noticed how similar Chase is to Ash, and while Elaine isn't quite as similar to May, she does have brown hair, something which none of Ash's other female companions have had (so far). Who's to say those two couldn't be their kids? Then again, you could say that about pretty much any Ash x female companion ship. Oh well.**

 **Anyways, thanks for reading, and if you posted an actual review, thanks for that, too. As for the rest of you, feel free to rate and review, but PLEASE be constructive and STAY ON TOPIC. I've dealt with enough trolls and moles and flame wars for one week.**

 **Oh, and one more thing: if you like watching Advanceshipping AMVs on YouTube, feel free to stop by my channel tomorrow any time after 8:30 AM (PST). I'm posting a special video to celebrate Advanceshipping.**

 **Okay, that's all. Thanks for reading, and I'll catch ya later!**


End file.
